Container for food

ABSTRACT

Upper and lower slits are formed on an upper part of a food container main body. The tip end portion of a skewer or simplified fork is inserted through the upper slit from inside the container main body and further inserted through the lower slit, and the tip end portion is pressed inside. As a result, the skewer or simplified fork can be held in the container main body by the both slits. A portion between the upper and lower slits functions as a flexible holding piece, and the skewer is held by a recovering force of this holding piece so that the skewer or simplified fork can be tilted by an arbitrary angle or the skewer or simplified fork can be held at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container for food for placingskewered food including deep-fried chicken, pork, beef and the like,dumplings, dengaku, mini doughnuts and the like in a cup-shapedcontainer so that these skewered food can be skewered and eaten.

Related-art examples of a container for skewered food for placingskewered food such as yakitori chicken, chicken meat balls, dumplingsand the like include Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No.3-31745 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2000-33948 described below, for example.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-31745 describes acup-shaped container equipped with, on a bottom part, a fixing memberfor fixing a skewer by sticking a tip end portion of the skewer thereinand, at the center of the upper part, a ring-shaped member having anopening portion. Moreover, a fitting-in port is provided in thisring-shaped member so that a base portion of the skewer communicatingwith the opening portion is fitted in and fixed and made capable ofgoing in/out therethrough.

Then, the skewered food is put in the container through the openingportion of the ring-shaped member in a skewered state, the tip endportion of the skewer is inserted into the fixing member and the baseportion of the skewer is held in the fitting-in port.

Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2000-33948 is a cylindrical container or a box-shaped container having aheight that can contain 3 to 4 pieces of lump-state food such as chickenballs, yakitori chicken, dumplings and the like in the verticaldirection, a partition or a partition cylinder having an opening surfacethrough which the lump-state food can be easily contained or taken outthereof from above is attached to the container, and a plurality ofpartitioned sections are constituted.

Moreover, 3 to 4 pieces of the lump-state food are contained innot-skewered and loose state in each of the partition section in thevertical direction. Moreover, skewers for skewering the lump-state foodare contained in a separate containing bag, and the containing bag withthe skewers therein is attached to a part of the main body of thecontainer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, in the above-described Japanese Utility Model ApplicationPublication No. 3-31745, the skewered food is fixed in the containerwhile the food is attached, and the technical idea thereof is differentfrom that of the present invention. Moreover, the fixing member isprovided on the bottom part of the container for fixing the skewer, andthe ring-shaped member is provided for fixing the base portion of theskewer, and thus, two members, that is, the fixing member and thering-shaped member are further required other than the container.

Furthermore, the shape of the ring-shaped member becomes complicated,and moreover, a process of providing the fixing member in the containerand the process of disposing the ring-shaped member are required. As aresult, there is a problem that a manufacturing cost of the containerbecomes extremely high.

Moreover, in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2000-33948, since the skewer is put in the containingbag and the containing bag is attached to the outer side face of thecontainer, when a user is to eat the skewered food in the container byusing the skewer, it is realized only after holding the container by onehand at first, taking the containing bag out of the container by theother hand, and moreover, putting down the container and tearing thecontaining bag the both hands in order to take the skewer out of thecontaining bag.

Therefore, in this Japanese Unexamined Patent Application PublicationNo. 2000-33948, when a user is to eat the skewered food by using theskewer, the skewer cannot be taken out immediately, whereby a user isirritated. Moreover, when the skewer is taken out of the containing bag,the containing bag needs to be torn by the both hands to take out theskewer, and the container should be put down somewhere once. Thus, thereis a problem that it is extremely difficult to take out the skewer andeat the skewered food while walking.

Furthermore, there is also a problem that a containing bag forcontaining the skewer is needed, whereby a manufacturing cost isincreased.

On the other hand, as those in which the separate member is not used butthe skewer is simply put down in the container or in which a cutout lineis made on the container so that the skewer is inserted into the cutoutline to be held, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2003-79503 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2002-160724 described below can be cited, for example. JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-79503 describes acontainer which has a plurality of notched portions on an upper edgeportion of a main body of container so that a skewer after food has beeneaten can be placed in the container by placing the skewer over the twoof the notched portions.

Moreover, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2002-160724, a single cutout line is provided on a container main bodyor a lid body so that a skewer can be held in the cutout line by pushingthe skewer into this cutout line.

However, in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2003-79503, it is only possible to place the skewer onthe notched portions, and the skewer cannot be held on the notchedportions immovably. Thus, there is a problem that the skewer might fallfrom the notched portion if the container is tilted or turned upsidedown when the container is held by hand.

Moreover, in the above-described Japanese Unexamined Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2002-160724, since only a single cutout line isprovided, if the skewer is inserted into the cutout line, a direction ofthe skewer is determined unambiguously regardless of the insertingdirection, and there is a problem that the skewer cannot be held at anarbitrary position in the vertical direction or in an inclined state.

The present invention was provided in view of the above-describedproblems and provides a container for food having a purpose of at leastthe following:

(1) To suppress a rise of a manufacturing cost of a container by notusing a separate member for holding a skewer or a thin, slightly flatand light-weighted simplified fork in a container;

(2) Even if a separate member is used for holding a skewer or a thin,slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork in a container, tosuppress the rise of a manufacturing cost of the container by using anextremely inexpensive member for the member;

(3) When a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplifiedfork is held in a container, to make it easy;

(4) To be able to hold a skewer or a thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified fork in a container in a state where theutensil such as a skewer is arbitrarily tilted or at an arbitraryposition in the vertical position with respect to the container;

(5) If a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplifiedfork is to be taken out of the container, to enable taking out theskewer or the simplified fork immediately and only by one hand while thecontainer is held by the other hand;

(6) To contain a tip end portion of a skewer or a thin, slightly flatand light-weighted simplified fork in a container so as to improvehygiene;

(7) When the container is formed of a paper material, to prevent thepaper material from being exposed to an inner edge portion of a slit soas to avoid direct contact between the food material and the papermaterial and to ensure security and safety in terms of hygiene; and

(8) To provide a design effect so as to attract users.

A first aspect of the present invention is a container for food foreating food contained in a cup-shaped container main body 1 made ofpaper or resin by using skewer or a thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified fork, characterized in that:

a slit 11 through which the skewer or the thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified fork is inserted into the container main body1 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1;

the slit 11 is formed in a circumferential direction of the containermain body 1 and two streaks of the slits are formed on upper and lowerparts; and

a sharp tip end of the skewer 5 or the simplified fork is located insideof the container main body 1 and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 orthe simplified fork is inserted through the upper slit 11 from theinside of the container main body 1 and the skewer 5 or the simplifiedfork is tilted to the outside using the tip end portion of the skewer 5or the simplified fork located outside of the container main body 1 as afulcrum so as to move the holding piece 13 to the inside, and the skewer5 or the simplified fork is pressed downward and inserted through thelower slit 11 so that the skewer 5 or the simplified fork can be held inthe container main body 1 withdrawably by an outer surface of theholding piece 13 urged outward by a returning force of the holding piece13 and an inner surface of the container main body 1.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that theslit 11 in the container main body 1 is formed by cutting out orpunching.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that anopening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body1, a sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4, and twostreaks of the slits 11 are formed on the upper and lower parts in thesheet 10.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that theopening portion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body1, the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4 with agap above and below the opening portion 4, and the upper and lower gapsof the sheet 10 are to be the slits 11.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that adimension in a circumferential direction of the slit 11 is set inaccordance with the number of skewers or thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified forks.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that apictorial FIG. 21 is drawn on an outer surface of the container mainbody 1 and also a pictorial FIG. 22 of a tip end portion of a skewer 5penetrating the pictorial FIG. 21 is drawn.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, ifthe container main body 1 and the sheet 10 forming the slit 11 are madeof a paper material, a hole 12 larger than the width of the slit 11 andcommunicating with the slit 11 is drilled at both ends of the slit 11.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, ifthe container main body 1 is made of a paper material, a coveringportion 18 preventing exposure of the paper material is formed on aninner edge 15 of the slit 11.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that thepaper material is to be a base 30, the surface of the base 30 is coatedwith a film 31 so that the paper material is not exposed to the outside,and the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11is formed by applying a resin of a film material of the film 31.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that thecovering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formedby applying or spraying a water-repellent oil-repellent agent.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that thecovering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formedby applying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with anyone of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and adisinfecting function.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that thecovering portion 18 is formed from the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 to aperipheral edge portion on the surface of the container main body 1.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the skewer orthe thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork, or in thecase of the skewer 5, for example, a sharp tip end of the skewer 5 ispositioned inside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion ofthe skewer 5 is inserted from inside the container main body 1 into theupper slit 11. Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5is located on the outside of the holding piece 13 between the upper andlower slits 11 and 11, the holding piece 13 can be moved inward bytilting the skewer 5 outward by using the tip end portion of the skewer5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing down the skewer 5, it can be insertedthrough the open lower slit 11, and by further pressing down the skewer5 and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at a position where thetip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches a bottom plate 2 of thecontainer main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate 2, the skewer5 is held in the container main body 1. As described above, the skewer 5can be easily held in the container main body 1.

Moreover, since a recovering force to recover to the original stateworks in the holding piece 13 between the upper and lower slits 11, theskewer 5 is biased to an outward direction on the outer surface of theholding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by an inner surface of thecontainer main body 1 and the outer surface of the holding piece 13, andthe skewer 5 is located substantially in contact with the inner surfaceof the container main body 1.

Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5can be prevented by the outward biasing force (recovering force) of theholding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container mainbody 1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even in astate where the skewer 5 is tilted by an arbitrary angle, the skewer 5can be held in the container main body 1 in that state. Furthermore,unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if the container main body 1holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upside down, the skewer 5 doesnot fall from the container main body 1.

Moreover, a separate member is not required for holding the skewer 5 butonly 2 streaks of slits 11 are formed, and thus, a rise in amanufacturing cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, in a state where theskewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, since the tip end portionof the skewer 5 is located in the container main body 1, contact of thehand of a seller with the tip end portion of the skewer 5 can beprevented, and hygiene can be improved.

Furthermore, in a state in which the skewer 5 is held in the containermain body 1 without placing a food material in the container main body1, the container main bodies 1 can be piled up.

Furthermore, if a user eats the food in the container main body 1 byusing the skewer 5, unlike the prior-art examples, the container mainbody 1 does not have to be put down somewhere but the skewer 5 can beeasily taken out of the container main body 1 only by holding the baseportion of the skewer 5 by one hand and withdrawn upward while thecontainer main body 1 is held by the other hand. The user sticks the tipend portion of the skewer 5 into the food in the container main body 1and eats it. Since the skewer 5 is used, the user can eat the foodwithout dirtying fingers.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the slit11 in the container main body 1 is formed by cutting out or punching, inaddition to the effect in the first aspect, the container can be formedeasily and inexpensively without using a separate member for holding theskewer such as the skewer 5, for example, or the thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified fork.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the openingportion 4 is formed in the side face of the container main body 1, thesheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4, and twostreaks of the slits 11 are formed on the upper and lower parts in thesheet 10. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, onlythe two streaks of the slits 11 are formed in the sheet 10 which is aninexpensive member for holding the skewer such as the skewer 5, forexample, or the thin, slightly flat light-weighted simplified fork, andthus a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the openingportion 4 is formed on the side face of the container main body 1, thesheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4 with a gapabove and below the opening portion 4, and the upper and lower gaps ofthe sheet 10 are made the slits 11. Therefore, in addition to the effectof the first aspect, the upper and lower slits 11 can be formed in thecontainer main body 1 only by simply attaching the sheet 10 to thecontainer main body 1, and the skewer such as the skewer 5, for exampleor the thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified fork can beheld by the upper and lower slits 11 withdrawably. Here, the sheet 10 isused as a separate member other than the container main body 1, but thesheet 10 itself is extremely inexpensive, and unlike Patent LiteraturesJapanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 3-31745 and JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-33948 using aslightly complicated and not inexpensive separate member, the skewer 5can be held by the container main body 1 with an inexpensive member(sheet 10).

Moreover, only by attaching the sheet 10 which is an inexpensive memberfor holding the skewer 5 to the opening portion 4 side with a gap aboveand below the opening portion 4 on the side face of the container mainbody 1, the upper and lower slits 11 can be formed, and thus, a rise inthe manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since thedimension in the circumferential direction of the slit 11 is set inaccordance with the number of skewers or the thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified forkforks to be inserted through the slit 11,a plurality of skewer and simplified forks can be easily held by thecontainer main body 1.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, since thepictorial FIG. 21 is drawn on the outer surface of the container mainbody 1 and the pictorial FIG. 22 of the tip end portion of the skewer 5penetrating the pictorial FIG. 21, it seems that the skewer 5 penetratesthe pictorial FIG. 21 of a heart shape at a glance, and an interest orimpact can be given to a user.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, if thecontainer main body 1 and the sheet 10 forming the slit 11 are made of apaper material, since the hole 12 larger than the width of the slit 11and communicating with the slit 11 is drilled at both ends of the slit11, even if the holding piece 13 is moved inward, the force is absorbedin the portion of the hole 12, and the paper material is prevented frombeing torn from the edge portion of the slit 11.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, if thecontainer main body 1 is made of a paper material, since the coveringportion 18 preventing exposure of the paper material is formed on theinner edge 15 of the slit 11, exposure of the paper material on theinner edge 15 of the slit 11 can be prevented. Thus, even if the theskewer such as the skewer 5, for example or the thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified fork, simplified spoon is inserted through theslit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which isthe material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result,security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the papermaterial forms the base 30, and the surface of the base 30 is coatedwith the film 31 so that the paper material is not exposed to theoutside, and the covering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of theslit 11 is formed by applying a resin of the film material of the film31, and thus, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of theslit 11 can be prevented. Thus, even if the skewer such as the skewer 5,for example, or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplified forkis inserted through the slit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can beprevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can beensured.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, since thecovering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formedby applying or spraying a water-repellent and oil-repellent agent,exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 canbe prevented by the water-repellent and oil-repellent agent. Thus, evenif the skewer such as the skewer 5, for example or the thin, slightlyflat and light-weighted simplified fork is inserted through the slit 11,contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which is thematerial of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result,security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since thecovering portion 18 formed on the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 is formedby applying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with anyone of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and adisinfecting function, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge15 of the slit 11 can be prevented by chemicals for food. Thus, even ifthe such as the skewer 5, for example, or the thin, slightly flat andlight-weighted simplified fork, simplified spoon is inserted through theslit 11, contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paper which isthe material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. As a result,security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since thecovering portion 18 is formed from the inner edge 15 of the slit 11 tothe peripheral edge portion on the surface of the container main body 1,the covering portion 18 can be reliably formed up to a corner portion ofthe inner edge 15 of the slit 11, and exposure of the paper material canbe prevented further reliably.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container main body in a first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container main body in the firstembodiment of the present invention when seen from the front.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container main body in the firstembodiment of the present invention when seen from the side.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container main body in the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example of a skewer used in the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in thecontainer main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in thecontainer main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a slit portion in the first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the slit portion whose dimension in thelateral direction is prolonged in the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a state where two skewers are held in thecontainer main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of thecontainer main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part of the slitportion in the container main body in the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where an inneredge of the slit in the container main body in the first embodiment ofthe present invention is coated with a resin.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where resincoating is applied up to a peripheral edge portion of the slit of in thecontainer main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view in which a pictorial figure is drawn on aside face of the container main body in the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held by thecontainer main body in the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view in which a pictorial figure is drawn on aside face of the container main body in the first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 18 is a view illustrating a state where the two skewers are held bythe container main body in the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating the container main body inthe first embodiment of the present invention when a position in thelateral direction of the slit is shifted.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating the container main body inthe first embodiment of the present invention when a plurality of slitsare formed in the circumferential direction.

FIG. 21 is a front view of a container main body in a second embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a plan view of the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a sheet in the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a side view of the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a bottom view of the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a rear view of the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a view illustrating a state where a skewer is held in thecontainer main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 30 is a view illustrating a state where the skewer is held in thecontainer main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 31 is an enlarged view of a slit portion in the second embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 32 is an enlarged view of the slit portion whose dimension in thelateral direction is prolonged in the second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 33 is a view illustrating a state where two skewers are held in thecontainer main body in the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 34 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where an inneredge of an opening portion in the container main body in the secondembodiment of the present invention is coated with a resin.

FIG. 35 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where resincoating is applied up to a peripheral edge portion of the openingportion of the container main body in the second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 36 is a front view of the container main body in which a slit inthe second embodiment of the present invention is formed in thecircumferential direction.

FIGS. 37A and 38B are plan views of a sheet when a position in thelateral direction of the slit in the second embodiment of the presentinvention is shifted.

FIG. 38 is a front view of a container main body in a third embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 39 is a plan view of the container main body in the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 40 is a plan view of a sheet in the third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 41 is a front view of the container main body in the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 42 is a side view of the container main body in the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 43 is a plan view of the container main body in the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 44 is a bottom view of the container main body in the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 45 is a view illustrating a state where a skewer is held in thecontainer main body in the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 46 is a front view illustrating a state where the skewer is held inthe container main body in the third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 47 is a side view illustrating a state where the skewer is held inthe container main body in the third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 48 is a front view illustrating a state where two skewers are heldin the container main body in the third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 49 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where an inneredge of an opening portion in the container main body in the thirdembodiment of the present invention is coated with a resin.

FIG. 50 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where resincoating is applied up to a peripheral edge portion of the openingportion of the container main body in the third embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 51 is a front view of the container main body when the openingportion in the third embodiment of the present invention is formed inthe circumferential direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below indetail by referring to the attached drawings (FIGS. 1 to 20). FIGS. 1 to4 illustrate a container main body 1 of the present invention, in whichFIG. 1 is a plan view of the container main body 1, FIG. 2 is aperspective view of the container main body 1 when seen from the front,FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container main body 1 when seen fromthe side, and FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container main body 1,respectively.

The container main body 1 is a cup made of paper or a resin, in which abottom face is blocked while an upper part is opened and which is acommercially available container. The size of the container main body 1is not particularly limited but a size that can be easily held by onehand. The shape of the container main body 1 is not limited to theillustrated substantially cylinder but may be a square prism orpolygonal cylinder, and the shape of the container main body 1 may beany as long as it can be used as a cup.

If this container main body 1 is made of a paper material, the containermain body 1 has the material of a base made of paper, and the surface ofthe paper material is coated with a laminate film material so as toprevent exposure of the paper material of the base. Moreover, directcontact of the food with the paper material is prevented.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, the container main body 1 includes a circular bottomplate 2 and a cylindrical portion 3, and two streaks of the slits 11 areformed at a slight interval in the vertical direction on the both sidesof an upper part of the cylindrical portion 3 in the circumferentialdirection of the cylindrical portion 3 by cutting out or punching.Moreover, at both ends of each slit 11, a hole 12 communicating with theslit 11 and larger than the slit 11 is drilled, respectively. This hole12 serves as a tearing preventing portion for preventing the cylindricalportion 3 from being torn.

FIG. 5 shows a skewer 5 made of bamboo or wood, and the skewer 5 with alength larger than the dimension in the longitudinal direction of thecontainer main body 1 is used. FIG. 6 shows a state where the skewer 5is held in the container main body 1.

A method of holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 is asfollows. That is, the sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positioned insidethe container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer 5 isinserted into the upper slit 11 from inside the container main body 1.Here, a portion located between the upper and lower slits 11 is referredto as a holding piece 13.

Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is locatedoutside the holding piece 13, the holding piece 13 can be moved inwardby tilting the skewer 5 outward using the tip end portion of the skewer5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing the skewer 5 downward, the skewer 5can be inserted through the lower slit 11, and by further pressing theskewer 5 downward and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at aposition where the tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches the bottomplate 2 of the container main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate2, the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. As describedabove, the skewer 5 can be easily held in the container main body 1.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a state where the skewer 5 is held in thecontainer main body 1, and since a recovering force to recover to theoriginal state works in the holding piece 13 between the upper and lowerslits 11, the skewer 5 is biased to an outward direction on the outersurface of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by an innersurface of the cylindrical portion 3 and the outer surface of theholding piece 13 of the container main body 1, and the skewer 5 islocated substantially in contact with the inner surface of the containermain body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 7.

Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5can be prevented by an outward biasing force of the holding piece 13.Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 at anarbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even if the skewer 5is tilted a little as illustrated in FIG. 6, the skewer 5 can be held inthat state. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if thecontainer main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upsidedown, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, since two streaks of the upperand lower slits 11 are formed, unlike Patent Literatures 1 and 2, theskewer 5 can be held in the container main body 1 without requiring aseparate member and moreover, the skewer 5 can be held at an arbitraryposition in the vertical direction while the skewer 5 is tilted at anarbitrary angle. Moreover, even if the container main body 1 is tiltedor turned upside down in a state where the skewer 5 is held between theslits 11, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 5.

Moreover, since a separate member is not required for holding the skewer5 but two streaks of the slits 11 are merely formed, a rise in themanufacturing cost can be suppressed. Furthermore, in a state where theskewer 5 is held in the container main body 1, since the tip end portionof the skewer 5 is positioned in the container main body 1, contact ofthe hand of a seller with the tip end portion of the skewer 5 can beprevented, and hygiene can be improved.

FIG. 8 illustrates an enlarged view of the slit 11 and the like, and asdescribed above, at both ends of the slit 11, a hole 12 communicatingwith the slit 11 and larger than the width of the slit 11 is drilled,respectively. In the case of the container main body 1 made of a papermaterial, if the hole 12 is not formed but only the slits 11 areprovided, the paper material might be torn from the edge portion of theslit 11 when the holding piece 13 is moved inward by the tip end portionof the skewer 5.

However, by forming the hole 12 at the both ends of the slit 11, even ifthe holding piece 13 is moved inward, the force is absorbed in theportion of the hole 12, and the paper material is prevented from beingtorn at the edge portion of the slit 11.

The skewered food to be contained in the container main body 1 includesdumplings, deep fries, mini doughnuts, oden, dengaku, snacks and thelike, for example, and if such skewered food is to be contained in thecontainer main body 1, since the skewer 5 is held along the innersurface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 7, theskewer 5 is not in the way. Thus, efficiency of a work to put skeweredfood in the container main body 1 can be improved. Moreover, thecontainer main bodies 1 can be stacked in a state where the skewer 5 isheld in the container main body 1 and no food materials are contained inthe container main body 1.

If a user eats the food in the container main body 1 by using the skewer5, by holding the container main body 1 by one hand and by holding thebase portion of the skewer 5 by the other hand and withdrawing theskewer 5 upward, the skewer 5 can be easily withdrawn out of thecontainer main body 1. Then, the user sticks the tip end portion of theskewer 5 into the food in the container main body 1 and eats it. Sincethe skewer 5 is used, the user can eat the food without dirtying thefingers.

Moreover, if the user want to put down the skewer 5 during eating, thatis, if the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1 again, it canbe easily realized only by inserting the skewer 5 through the slit 11.

The respective skewer 5 can be also held in the both sides of thecontainer main body 1, and a couple of people can individually use therespective skewers 5.

Moreover, in a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container mainbody 1, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 to be put into themouth is located in the container main body 1, contact of the hand of aseller with the tip end portion of the skewer 5 can be prevented, andhygiene can be improved.

When the container main body 1 is to be manufactured, by opening theslit 11 or the hole 12 in advance by Thomson process or the like, forexample, in an assembly line, the container main body 1 of the presentinvention can be easily manufactured with the prior-art manufacturingmethods, and a rise in the manufacturing cost of the container main body1 can be suppressed.

It is only necessary that the dimension in the lateral direction of theslit 11 is a dimension through which a single piece of the skewer 5 canbe inserted, and the length is not particularly limited. For example,the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is set to 10 to 15mm. With this dimension, one or two skewers 5 can be held therein.

Moreover, FIG. 9 illustrates a state where the dimension in the lateraldirection of the slit 11 is made longer than that in FIG. 8 so that twoor three skewers 5 can be held. It is needless to say that a singleskewer 5 can be held. FIG. 10 illustrates a state where two skewers 5are held in the container main body 1 in the method similar to theabove.

As described above, the length of the slit 11 can be set as appropriatedepending on the number of the skewers 5 to be held.

In this embodiment, a pair of upper and lower slits 11 are formed on theboth sides of the container main body 1, respectively, but a pair ofupper and lower slits 11 may be formed only on one side.

An enlarged sectional view of an essential part of the container mainbody 1 when the container main body 1 is made of a paper material isillustrated in FIG. 11. The container main body 1 is comprised of thebase 30 made of a paper material and the laminate film 31 attached overthe whole surface of the both sides of the base 30. The laminate film 31is attached on the both surfaces of the base 30 made of a paper materialdue to the following reason.

That is, since a chlorine-based strong chemical is used when the paperused as a material of a paper cup is produced, the paper material iscoated with the laminate film so that the paper material is not exposedto the outside, and this laminate film prevents direct contact betweendrink or food contained in the cup with the paper material anddissolution of the chlorine-based strong chemical into the drink oradhesion of the chemical to food material so as to ensure hygiene.

Then, in order to form the slit 11, if the container main body 1 ispunched in a flat-plate shape so as to form the slit 11 in a stagebefore the cup-shaped container main body 1 is formed, the paper martialof the base 30 is exposed to the inner edge 15 (inner peripheralsurface) of the slit 11 as illustrated in FIG. 12.

If the paper material of the base 30 is exposed, there is a concern thatthe tip end portion of the skewer 5 touches the base 30 or the food inthe container main body 1 touches the base 30, and there is a concernthat hygiene cannot be ensured.

Then, if the container main body 1 is a paper cup made of a papermaterial, the following is executed. That is, as illustrated in FIG. 13,the same laminate film material of the laminate film 31 as that coatingthe surface of the paper of a paper cup is applied on the inner edge 15of the slit 11 in a melted state.

A shaded portion of the inner edge 15 illustrated in FIG. 13 is anapplied surface 16 on which the softened/melted resin is applied and isthe covering portion 18 covering the portion of the paper material whichis the material of the base 30 not to be exposed to the outside byapplying the laminate film 31.

In FIG. 13, the lateral direction of the slit 11 is illustrated asslightly being curved but may be straight.

As described above, if the container main body 1 is made of a papermaterial, by applying the resin of the laminate film material on theinner edge 15 of the slit 11 through which the skewer 5 is to beinserted, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 of theslit 11 can be prevented. Thus, even if the skewer 5 is inserted throughthe slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paperwhich is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. Asa result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

Moreover, a spot to be coated with the resin of the laminate filmmaterial does not have to be limited to the inner edge 15 of the slit 11but the resin coating may be applied to the peripheral edge portion ofthe slit 11 so as to reach the surface of the container main body 1.

In such a case, the resin can be applied reliably to the corner portionof the inner edge 15 of the slit 11, and exposure of the paper materialcan be prevented further reliably.

Moreover, means for preventing exposure of the paper material of thebase 30 if the slit 11 is formed is not limited to the above-describedlaminate film material. For example, by using a fluorine-basedwater-repellent and oil -repellent agent, the water-repellent andoil-repellent agent may be applied (coating) or atomized in a spraystate and the covering portion 18 may be formed on the inner edge 15 ofthe slit 11 or the periphery of the inner edge 15 so as to preventexposure of the base 30.

As a result, even if the skewer 5 is inserted through the slit 11similarly to FIGS. 13 and 14, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can beprevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can beensured.

As the above-described water-repellent and oil-repellent agent,“Unidyne” as a product name by Daikin Industries Co., Ltd. is suitable,for example.

Moreover, other than the resin of the laminate film material or thewater-repellent and oil-repellent agent, the covering portion 18 formedon the inner edge 15 of the formed slit 11 or its periphery includingthe inner edge 15 may be formed by applying a colorless or colored foodgrade chemical provided with any one of an antibacterial function, asterilizing function and a disinfecting function.

As a result, exposure of the paper material can be prevented by thecovering portion 18, contact of the skewer 5 or food material with thepaper material can be prevented, and hygiene can be ensured similarly tothe above embodiment. That is, even if the skewer 5 is inserted throughthe slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5 with the paperwhich is the material of the container main body 1 can be prevented. Asa result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

Subsequently, an embodiment aiming for a design effect will bedescribed. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a pictorialFIG. 21 is drawn on the side face of the container main body 1, and thepictorial FIG. 22 of the tip end portion of the skewer is drawn on theside face of the container main body 1 so as to penetrate this pictorialFIG. 21. Though the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer is not colored inFIG. 15, it should be colored in the same color as the skewer usedactually.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, by holding the skewer 5 in the container mainbody 1 illustrated in FIG. 15 so that the tip end portion of the skewer5 is located in the container main body 1 similarly to the embodimentand by tilting the skewer 5 with the same inclination as the inclinationof the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer, it seems that the skewer 5penetrates the pictorial FIG. 21 of a heart shape at a glance, and aninterest and an impact can be given to users.

A heart is drawn as an example of the pictorial FIG. 21, but anypictorial figure can be drawn.

FIGS. 17 and 18 are embodiments in which the dimension in the lateraldirection of the slit 11 is prolonged so that two skewers 5 can be held.

FIG. 19 shows an example in which the positions of the upper and lowerslits 11 are shifted in the lateral direction, and FIG. 20 shows anexample in which a plurality of upper and lower streaks of the slits 11are formed in the circumferential direction on the upper part of thecontainer main body 1. The examples shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 also exertthe effect similar to that of the above-described embodiment.

In FIGS. 19 and 20, the pictorial FIG. 21 or the pictorial FIG. 22 ofthe skewer illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18 is not drawn, but the case inwhich the pictorial FIG. 21 and the pictorial FIG. 22 of the skewer aredrawn is naturally included.

Second Embodiment

Subsequently, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 21 shows afront view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 22 shows a plan viewof the container main body 1, respectively, and FIG. 23 shows a planview of the sheet 10 which will be described later. In the upper part ofthe cylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1, a window-shapedsquare opening portion 4 is formed. The sheet 10 is attached so as toblock this opening portion 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 23, two streaks of the slits 11 are formed in thevertical direction at a slight interval in the lateral direction in thesheet 10. The material of this sheet 10 includes paper, a resin film, athick resin and the like.

FIG. 24 is a front view of the container main body 1 in a state wherethe sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4 of thecontainer main body 1. FIG. 25 is a side view of the container main body1, FIG. 26 is a plan view of the container main body 1, FIG. 27 is abottom view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 28 is a rear view ofthe container main body 1, respectively.

The sheet 10 is attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical portion3 of the container main body 1 so that the two streaks of the upper andlower slits 11 in the sheet 10 are located on the opening portion 4 ofthe container main body 1. Means for attaching the sheet 10 to thecontainer main body 1 can be arbitrary and an adhesive, deposition,pressurization and the like can be used. The shaded portions in FIGS. 24and 25 indicate adhesion portions between the outer surface of thecontainer main body 1 and the inner face of the sheet 10.

The sheet 10 may be attached to the outer surface of the container mainbody 1 or may be attached to the inner surface of the container mainbody 1. Moreover, the sheet 10 may be attached to both of the outersurface and the inner surface of the container main body 1, but from theviewpoint of a manufacturing process or cost, it is preferable that asingle sheet 10 is attached to the outer surface or the inner surface ofthe container main body 1.

As illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25, if the sheet 10 is attached to thecontainer main body 1, the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 areformed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 3,and the skewer is inserted through the upper and lower slits 11 so thatthe skewer can be held in the container main body 1 withdrawably as willbe described later. A portion between the upper and lower slits 11 isreferred to as the holding piece 13 similar to the above-describedembodiment.

Moreover, similarly to the above-described embodiment, a hole 12communicating with the slit 11 and larger than the slit 11 is drilled atthe both ends of each slit 11, respectively.

FIG. 29 shows a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container mainbody 1. A method of holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 isas follows. That is, the sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positionedinside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer5 is inserted into the upper slit 11 on the sheet 10 from inside thecontainer main body 1.

Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is locatedoutside the holding piece 13, the holding piece 13 can be moved inwardby tilting the skewer 5 outward using the tip end portion of the skewer5 as a fulcrum. Then, by pressing the skewer 5 downward, the skewer 5can be inserted through the open lower slit 11, and by further pressingthe skewer 5 downward and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at aposition where the tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches the bottomplate 2 of the container main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate2, the skewer 5 is held in the container main body 1. As describedabove, the skewer 5 can be easily held in the container main body 1.

FIGS. 29 and 30 illustrate a state where the skewer 5 is held in thecontainer main body 1, and since the recovering force to recover to theoriginal state works in the holding piece 13 between the upper and lowerslits 11, the skewer 5 is biased to an outward direction on the outersurface of the holding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by the innersurface of the sheet 10 attached to the container main body 1 and theouter surface of the holding piece 13, and the skewer 5 is locatedsubstantially in contact with the inner surface of the container mainbody 1 as illustrated in FIG. 30.

Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5can be prevented by the outward biasing force (recovering force) of theholding piece 13. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container mainbody 1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even ifthe skewer 5 is slightly tilted as illustrated in FIG. 29, the state canbe maintained. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even ifthe container main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turnedupside down, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, only by merely attaching thesheet 10 in which the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 are formedto the container main body 1, the skewer 5 can be held by the slits 11withdrawably. Here, the sheet 10 is used as a separate member other thanthe container main body 1 itself, but the sheet 10 itself is extremelyinexpensive, and unlike Patent Literatures 1 and 2 using a slightlycomplicated and not inexpensive separate member, the skewer 5 can beheld by the container main body 1 with an inexpensive member (sheet 10).

Furthermore, since the two streaks of the slits 11 are merely formed inthe sheet 10 which is an inexpensive member for holding the skewer 5, arise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

FIG. 31 shows an enlarged plan view of the sheet 10, and if the sheet 10is made of paper or a thin resin film and if the hole 12 is not formedand only the slit 11 is formed, there is a concern that, when theholding piece 13 is moved inward by the tip end portion of the skewer 5,the sheet 10 is torn from the edge portion of the slit 11.

However, by forming the hole 12 at the both ends of the slit 11, even ifthe holding piece 13 is moved inward, the force is absorbed in theportion of the hole 12, and the sheet 10 is prevented from being tornfrom the edge portion of the slit 11.

In this embodiment, one opening portion 4 is formed in the side face ofthe container main body 1, and the sheet 10 is attached to this openingportion 4, but the opening portion 4 may be formed on the both sides ofthe container main body 1 so that the sheet 10 is attached to each ofthe opening portions 4.

When the container main body 1 is to be manufactured, by providing theopening portion 4 in the cylindrical portion 3 in advance by Thomsonprocess or the like in an assembly line, the container main body 1 ofthe present invention can be easily manufactured with the prior-artmanufacturing methods, and a rise in the manufacturing cost of thecontainer main body 1 can be suppressed.

In this embodiment, by providing the sheet 10 in which two streaks ofthe slits 11 are formed vertically on the opening portion 4 of thecontainer main body 1, the effect similar to the above-describedembodiment can be also exerted in this embodiment.

It is only necessary that the dimension in the lateral direction of theslit 11 is a dimension through which a single piece of the skewer 5 canbe inserted, and the length is not particularly limited. For example,the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit 11 is set to 10 to 15mm. With this dimension, one or two skewers 5 can be held therein.

FIG. 32 shows an example in which the dimension in the lateral directionof the slit 11 is longer than that in FIG. 31 so that two or threeskewers 5 can be held. It is needless to say that a single skewer 5 canbe also held. FIG. 33 shows a state where two skewers 5 are held by thecontainer main body 1 with the method similar to the above.

As described above, the length of the slit 11 can be set as appropriatedepending on the number of the skewers 5 to be held.

If the container main body 1 of this embodiment is made of a papermaterial, punching of the opening portion 4 causes the paper material tobe exposed to the inner edge (inner peripheral surface) of the openingportion 4. Thus, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 ismade of a paper material (paper cup), it is manufactured as follows.That is, as illustrated in FIG. 34, the same laminate film material asthat coating the surface of the paper of a paper cup is applied on theinner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 in a melted state.

A shaded portion of the inner edge 15 illustrated in FIG. 34 is theapplied surface 16 on which the softened/melted resin is applied and isthe covering portion 18 covering the paper material not to be exposed tothe outside.

As described above, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 ismade of a paper material, by applying the resin on the inner edge 15 ofthe opening portion 4 which is likely to be in contact with the skewer 5inserted therein, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 ofthe opening portion 4 is prevented. Thus, even if the skewer 5 isinserted through the slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can beprevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can beensured.

Moreover, a spot to be coated with the resin does not have to be limitedto the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 but the resin may beapplied to the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion 4 so as toreach the surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG.35.

In such a case, the resin can be applied reliably to the corner portionof the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4, and exposure of the papermaterial can be prevented further reliably. As a result, security andsafety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

If the sheet 10 is made of a resin, it is only necessary to apply thelaminate film material on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 asdescribed above, but if the material of the sheet 10 is paper, thelaminate film material is applied on the front and back surfaces of thesheet 10, the inner edge of the slit 11, and the hole 12.

As a result, direct contact of the skewer 5 with the paper materialwhich is the material of the sheet 10 can be prevented, and security andsafety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

FIG. 36 shows an example in which a plurality of the opening portions 4are formed in the circumferential direction on the upper part of thecontainer main body 1 and the sheet 10 is attached to each of theopening portions 4. In such a case, though it depends on the size of theopening portion 4, 5 or 6 opening portions 4 are formed, and the sheet10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.

FIG. 37 shows an example in which the positions of the upper and lowerslits 11 are shifted in the lateral direction, and FIG. 37A shows anexample in which the lower slit 11 is shifted to the left with respectto the upper slit 11. FIG. 37B shows an example in which the lower slit11 is shifted to the right with respect to the upper slit 11.

The examples illustrated in FIGS. 36 and 37 also exert the effectsimilar to the above.

Third Embodiment

Subsequently, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 38 shows afront view of the container main body 1, and FIG. 39 shows a plan viewof the container main body 1, respectively, and FIG. 40 shows a planview of the sheet 10 which will be described later.

A window-shaped square opening portion 4 is formed on the upper part ofthe cylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1. The sheet 10 isattached so as to block this opening portion 4 except upper and lowerportions of this opening portion 4. The material of this sheet 10includes paper, a resin film, a thick resin and the like.

FIG. 41 shows a front view of the container main body 1 in a state wherethe above-described sheet 10 is attached to the opening portion 4 of thecontainer main body 1. FIG. 42 shows a side view of the container mainbody 1, FIG. 43 shows a plan view of the container main body 1, and FIG.44 shows a bottom view of the container main body 1, respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 41, the dimension in the lateral direction of thesheet 10 is larger than the dimension in the lateral direction of theopening portion 4 of the container main body 1, and the dimension in thevertical direction of the sheet 10 is shorter than the dimension in thevertical direction of the opening portion 4.

If the sheet 10 is attached so as to block the opening portion 4, it isattached so that a gap is generated above and below the opening portion4, respectively, and two streaks of the upper and lower slits 11 areformed in the circumferential direction on the side face of thecontainer main body 1 by these upper and lower gaps.

Moreover, the sheet 10 is attached on the outer surface of thecylindrical portion 3 of the container main body 1 so that the sheet 10is located on the opening portion 4 of the container main body 1. Meansfor attaching the sheet 10 to the container main body 1 can bearbitrary, and an adhesive, deposition, pressurization and the like canbe used. The shaded portions in FIGS. 41 and 42 indicate adhesionportions between the outer surface of the container main body 1 and theinner surface of the sheet 10.

The sheet 10 may be attached to the outer surface of the container mainbody 1 or may be attached to the inner surface of the container mainbody 1. Moreover, the sheet 10 may be attached to both of the outersurface and the inner surface of the container main body 1, but from theviewpoint of a manufacturing process or cost, it is preferable that asingle sheet 10 is attached to the outer surface or the inner surface ofthe container main body 1.

As illustrated in FIGS. 41 and 42, if the sheet 10 is attached to thecontainer main body 1, the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 areformed in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 3,and the skewer is inserted through the upper and lower slits 11 so thatthe skewer can be held in the container main body 1 withdrawably as willbe described later.

FIG. 45 shows a state where the skewer 5 is held in the container mainbody 1. A method of holding the skewer 5 in the container main body 1 isas follows. That is, the sharp tip end of the skewer 5 is positionedinside the container main body 1, and the tip end portion of the skewer5 is inserted into the upper slit 11 from inside of the container mainbody 1.

Subsequently, since the tip end portion of the skewer 5 is locatedoutside of the sheet 10, the sheet 10 can be moved inward by tilting theskewer 5 outward using the tip end portion of the skewer 5 as a fulcrum.Then, by pressing the skewer 5 downward, the skewer 5 can be insertedthrough the open lower slit 11, and by further pressing the skewer 5downward and by releasing the hand from the skewer 5 at a position wherethe tip end portion of the skewer 5 reaches the bottom plate 2 of thecontainer main body 1 or before reaching the bottom plate 2, the skewer5 is held in the container main body 1. As described above, the skewer 5can be easily held in the container main body 1.

FIGS. 45 and 46 illustrate a state where the skewer 5 is held in thecontainer main body 1, and since the recovering force to recover to theoriginal state works in the sheet 10 between the upper and lower slits11, the skewer 5 is biased to the outward direction on the outer surfaceof the sheet 10. Thus, the skewer 5 is held by the inner surface of thecontainer main body 1 and the outer surface of the sheet 10, and theskewer 5 is located substantially in contact with the inner surface ofthe container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG. 46.

Moreover, slipping down of the skewer 5 by the weight of the skewer 5can be prevented from by the outward biasing force (recovering force) ofthe sheet 10. Thus, the skewer 5 can be held in the container main body1 at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, and even if theskewer 5 is slightly tilted as illustrated in FIG. 47, the state can bemaintained. Furthermore, unlike Patent Literatures 3 and 4, even if thecontainer main body 1 holding the skewer 5 is tilted or turned upsidedown, the skewer 5 does not fall from the container main body 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, only by merely attaching thesheet 10 to the container main body 1, two streaks of upper and lowerslits 11 can be formed and the skewer 5 can be held by the upper andlower slits 11 withdrawably. Here, the sheet 10 is used as a separatemember other than the container main body 1 itself, but the sheet 10itself is extremely inexpensive, and unlike Patent Literatures 1 and 2using a slightly complicated and not inexpensive separate member, theskewer 5 can be held by the container main body 1 with an inexpensivemember (sheet 10).

Furthermore, since the two streaks of upper and lower slits 11 can beformed only by attaching the sheet 10 which is an inexpensive member forholding the skewer 5 to the opening portion 4 side with a gap above andbelow the opening portion 4 on the side face of the container main body1, a rise in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

In the above-described embodiment, one opening portion 4 is formed inthe side face of the container main body 1, and the sheet 10 is attachedto this opening portion 4, but the opening portion 4 may be formed onthe both sides of the container main body 1, respectively, so that thesheet 10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.

When the container main body 1 is to be manufactured, by providing theopening the portion 4 in the cylindrical portion 3 in advance by Thomsonprocess or the like in an assembly line, for example, the container mainbody 1 of the present invention can be easily manufactured with theprior-art manufacturing methods, and a rise in the manufacturing cost ofthe container main body 1 can be suppressed.

It is only necessary that the dimension in the lateral direction of theslit 11 (opening portion 4) is a dimension through which a single pieceof the skewer 5 can be inserted, and the length is not particularlylimited. For example, the dimension in the lateral direction of the slit11 is set to 10 to 15 mm. With this dimension, one or a few skewers 5can be held therein. FIG. 48 shows a state where two skewers 5 are held.

If the container main body 1 of this embodiment is made of a papermaterial, punching of the opening portion 4 causes the paper material tobe exposed to the inner edge (inner peripheral surface) of the openingportion 4. Thus, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 ismade of a paper material (paper cup), it is manufactured as follows.That is, as illustrated in FIG. 49, the same laminate film material asthat coating the surface of the paper of a paper cup is applied on theinner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 in a melted state. A shadedportion of the inner edge 15 illustrated in FIG. 49 is the appliedsurface 16 on which the softened/melted resin is applied and is thecovering portion 18 covering the paper material not to be exposed to theoutside similarly to the above-described embodiment.

As described above, in this embodiment, if the container main body 1 ismade of a paper material, by applying the resin on the inner edge 15 ofthe opening portion 4 which is likely to be in contact with the skewer 5inserted therein, exposure of the paper material to the inner edge 15 ofthe opening portion 4 can be prevented. Thus, even if the skewer 5 isinserted through the slit 11, the contact of the surface of the skewer 5with the paper which is the material of the container main body 1 can beprevented. As a result, security and safety in terms of hygiene can beensured.

Moreover, a spot to be coated with the resin does not have to be limitedto the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 but the resin may beapplied to the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion 4 so as toreach the surface of the container main body 1 as illustrated in FIG.50.

In such a case, the resin can be applied reliably to the corner portionof the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4, and exposure of the papermaterial can be prevented further reliably. As a result, security andsafety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

If the sheet 10 is made of a resin, it is only necessary to apply thelaminate film material on the inner edge 15 of the opening portion 4 asdescribed above, but if the material of the sheet 10 is paper, thelaminate film material is applied on the front and back surfaces and theend surface of the peripheral edge of the sheet 10.

As a result, direct contact of the skewer 5 with the paper materialwhich is the material of the sheet 10 can be prevented, and security andsafety in terms of hygiene can be ensured.

FIG. 51 shows an example in which a plurality of the opening portions 4are formed in the circumferential direction on the upper part of thecontainer main body 1, and the sheet 10 is attached to each of theopening portions 4. In such a case, though depending on the size of theopening portion 4, 5 or 6 opening portions 4 are formed, and the sheet10 is attached to each of the opening portions 4.

In the second and third embodiments, too, the effect similar to thefirst embodiment is exerted.

In the second and third embodiments, as a material covering the portionof the exposed paper material of the opening portion 4 opened in thecontainer main body 1, a water-repellent and oil-repellent agent or acolorless or colored food grade chemical provided with any one of anantibacterial function, a sterilizing function and a disinfectingfunction may be used similarly to the first embodiment in addition tothe above-described laminate film material.

Moreover, in the second and third embodiments, a design effect may beaimed for by drawing a pictorial FIG. 21 and a pictorial FIG. 22 of askewer on the outer side face of the container main body 1 similarly tothose illustrated in FIGS. 15 to 18.

In the above-described embodiments, the skewer 5 is exemplified inexplanation of a matter to be held in the container main body 1, butthis is not limiting. The present invention can be applied also to theutensils such as forks and spoons, for example.

However, metal forks are heavy, wide and thick and thus, they cannot beheld in the container main body 1 of the present invention. Thus, in thepresent invention, thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplifiedforks and particularly light-weighted and simplified forks made ofplastic are preferable examples.

1. A container for food for eating food to be contained in the containerby using a skewer or a thin, slightly flat and light-weighted simplifiedfork, comprising: a cup-shaped container flexible main body made ofpaper or resin and at least one pair of slits passing through a sidethereof and comprising an upper slit situated directly above a lowerslit and configured for insertion therethrough into the container mainbody of the skewer or the simplified fork and wherein: each of the slitextends in a circumferential direction of the container main body and aportion of the side of the container main body between the upper slitand the lower slit is configured to function a holding piece for holdingthe skewer or the simplified fork; and the slits and the holding pieceare configured so that a sham tip end of the skewer or the simplifiedfork can be located inside of the container main body by inserting thetip end portion of the skewer or the simplified fork through the upperslit from inside of the container main body and tilting the skewer orthe simplified fork to the outside so as to move the holding piece tothe inside, while pressing the skewer or the simplified fork downwardand inserting the skewer or the simplified fork through the lower slitso that the skewer or the simplified fork can be held in the containermain body withdrawably by the holding piece.
 2. The container for foodaccording to claim 1, wherein: the slits are formed by cutting out orpunching.
 3. The container for food according to claim 1, furthercomprising: an opening portion formed through a side of the containermain body; and a flexible sheet attached to the side of the containermain body so as to block the opening portion, and wherein the slits areformed in the sheet.
 4. The container for food according to claim 1,further comprising: an opening portion formed through a side of thecontainer main body; and a flexible sheet attached so as to block theopening portion with exception of an upper gap and a lower gap formed byupper and lower edges of the sheet being spaced below and above,respectively, upper and lower edges of the opening portion so as to formthe upper and lower slits, respectively.
 5. The container for foodaccording to claim 4, wherein: dimension of each of the slits in thecircumferential direction is predetermined in accordance with the numberof skewers or simplified forks to he inserted through the slits.
 6. Thecontainer for food according to claim 1 further comprising: on an outersurface of the container main body, an image of a figure with an imageof a tip end portion of a skewer penetrating the image of the figure. 7.The container for food according to claim 1, wherein: the container mainbody is made of a paper material, and a respective hole larger than awidth of the slit and communicating with the slit is formed at each endof each of the slits.
 8. The container for food according to claim 1,wherein: the container main body is made of a paper material, and edgesof the slits are covered with another material for preventing exposureof the paper material to food residue on the skewer or the simplifiedfork.
 9. The container for food according to claim 8, wherein: thecovering is formed by application of a resin film.
 10. The container forfood according to claim 8, wherein: the covering is formed byapplication of a water-repellent oil-repellent agent.
 11. The containerfor food according to claim 8, wherein: the covering is formed byapplying a colorless or colored food grade chemical provided with anyone of an antibacterial function, a sterilizing function and adisinfecting function.
 12. The container for food according to claim 8,wherein: the covering is formed from the inner surfaces of each of theslits to peripheral portions thereof on surfaces of the container mainbody.
 13. The container for food according to claim 3, wherein: thesheet is made of paper material, and a respective hole larger than awidth of the slit and communicating with the slit is formed at each endof each of the slits.
 14. The container for food according to claim 10,wherein the covering is formed by spraying the water-repellentoil-repellent agent.